Before anything else, you should understand if you need custom development. There are many white-label solutions and app builders crafted for specific industries: with them, you can have a pre-designed template with a limited number of functions and integrations. As we argued in our post on white-labelling fitness apps, it can work for small businesses that don’t need anything more than basic functionality.
If your app can solve the users’ problem with a minimum set of standard features, you can choose white-label or app builder which usually are based on a monthly subscription. In this case, read thoroughly about what kind of support and maintenance are provided and do your research on the existing applications made on this basis: learn if they had any problems with bug fixes or app store submissions.
If, in contrast, you need an app fully tailored to your particular needs – with unusual screen types, individual designs, complex integrations with the third-party services – what you’re looking for is custom development. You need to find a team of passionate developers experienced in the field you’re interested in and cooperate with them on each phase of the process. To define custom app development cost, let’s start from how to define what professionals you need and how to find them.